Saint Louis Temple

We finally got to go to the temple! It’s been a long time and it was really nice to go again. We have to drive over 2 1/2 hours to get to the closest temple in St. Louis.  That’s really hard to do when I’m working and Josh is in vet school. We had plans to go there over Thanksgiving since we couldn’t make it home and we stayed an extra day so we could go to the temple the day after Thanksgiving.  It was worth it! We had a beautiful day and it felt great.

We snapped a few pictures. Sadly we had to kind of hurry and I set up the first picture on the automatic timer and had to run run run back to Josh and barely made it-and we didn’t try again lol…

Josh wouldn’t let me take any others of him.  Can’t wait to go back!

Where did it go?

The {WEEKEND} is gone! Ok, I know it’s Monday night-but I had today off too…

Well, Josh did not go hunting after all, so I had him here with me! He got to stay up really late and sleep in even later and it was nice to be with him. I didn’t get so much of the stuff done I had planned, but I got other stuff done!

We got our freezer, we got a possum trap, and mouse traps (and got a mouse-ew). Today we both worked outside-I worked on clearing that huge flower garden and Josh mowed leaves. I also did some other raking and sweeping and random cleaning out there and in the garage. I also worked on insurance stuff that needs done and my poor car that got hit on Sat. Got some done towards my talk and I’m working on the laundry-it keeps getting neglected…I hate when I do that.

Well, there’s pleanty more to work on so that’s what I’m gunna do-I work tomorrow all day long and wednesday till 2. Then on wed we head to St. Louis for some good times with friends, and ourselves, and also a temple visit!

Tonight: Dinner, Laundry, Packing for trip, cleaning house, shampoo a carpet? enjoy having josh home :) memorize for my work test, and work on my talk and lessons. I have more planned than I’m going to do I’m sure but oh well-I always do that.

PS check out the recipe box blog to the left for a couple new recipes!

Here we go…

Well this won’t be an exciting post…I’ll try to come up with one of those.  I’m off for the weekend though! Josh is off for Thanksgiving break and he’s going hunting. He leaves tonight. He’ll be with a friend from school and they will be hunting from tree stands for deer. (Sounds like a ton of fun-right? lol) anyway…I hope he has a good time-he deserves a break.  This means that I will be home alone on my 3 day weekend and hopefully I’ll remain ambitious and get some stuff done around the house. Things like: Routine cleaning (never ends!), peeling wallpaper, going through some of that stuff we never unpacked yet, re-organizing closets (now that I’ve been here for a while I’ve decided how I really want them. It’s hard to know on the first day), maybe I’ll deep clean my car and change the oil (or I should say-get the oil changed-hehe) and watch some more LOST.

I am loving our PS3 we got a little while ago. Not so much for the gaming-but for the blue-ray player and especially now for how it combines with Netflix! We ordered the free DVD and we put it in the PS3. Since we have wireless internet and have the PS3 connected-we can stream the movies and tv shows that we could only watch on the computer before-but now on our TV.  I could have hooked the computer up to the TV before-but it was a pain so I never did. SO I tried out LOST and I wouldn’t say its amazing-but it is addicting!

Well, I’m heading into columbia with Josh today-he needs some stuff for hunting and I want to try to get us a freezer. We have hardly any room in the one with our fridge (there’s an ice maker in there which takes up half of it-but I do enjoy the ice!) and I would love to be able to make a few things to freeze for those nights we are crazy busy and don’t feel like cooking. Also-if Josh manages to get that deer and some of the other stuff he’s talking about-we will definatly need the freezer space!  Plus-there’s a nice big basement to put it in.  I guess it’s time to start our food storage.

Speaking of food storage-We should have a years worth-how much is that really?? I think it’s hard to really picture it.  This is partly why I’d like to start a garden in the spring and then learn to can things and dry things or however we preserve it lol.

What would be some good things to have stored away in case we have a storm or something to help us out? For example-to keep us warm? Is there anything that we could get and store in case the power is out and we can’t use the gas heat? We don’t have a wood fireplace or a place to put one.  What does everyone else do?

I’ve realized I have a lot to learn… :)

to be {Thankful}

A think on facebook got me thinking about things I am thankful for. After all, this is the time of year for that sort of thing, right? Well the idea was to put up a different thing I am thankful for each day until Thanksgiving. I thought, surely I have more than enough things I am thankful for to be able to fulfill this challenge. Then I really did start thinking about everything I am thankful for. I remembered that last year about this time I posted a blog about things I am thankful for. Not much has changed in the big picture but I wanted to share some things I am thankful for in my life…(no particular order)

I am thankful for my husband who supports me and who works hard to be a great doctor one day and support his future family. I love him more than I would have imagined and I know he loves me. I am sad that I hardly get to see him and he has to be so tired and stressed with school. I support him though and am proud of the good work he is doing and I know it will all be worth it.

I am thankful for my parents who raised me, support me, and love me. I talk to my mom on the phone nearly every day and she always pays attention and cares about what’s going on in my life. I haven’t gotten to talk with my dad since Dec. 30, 2004, but I know he is watching over me from heaven and I still feel his love and support and wisdom.

I am thankful for my whole family both close to me and extended. Both my side and Josh’s.  I get continued love and support from them all and I don’t know what I would do without any of them. Especially my sister Susan, my niece Mandy, mother in law Jackie, and sister in law Molly. They have all been really close to me and I am so thankful for that.

I am thankful for my home it’s our first house and we love it. I think there’s probably something special about your first house…

I am thankful for the gospel this has been such a big influence in my life and my decisions. I know the Lord has been a huge help and guidance to me especially that we are out here on our own. 

I am thankful for my pets because they are nice to come home to, the cuddle with me, and they need me. They cause trouble and I think they will continue to teach me patience that will be valuable when we do have kids. Also I’m thankful that we still have Sassy. She has been our miracle dog. If you followed me a year ago you know that she had cancer and we didn’t think we would have her much longer. It’s been a year and she is doing fantastic! I admire her strength and courage and her fight to be with us.

I am thankful for my job last year I was also thankful for my job. This year it’s a new job and it’s been a real blessing in the last month to have gotten my new job. I love it, I love the people, I love my boss, I love the work. It’s amazing what a great job can do for your life.

I am thankful for reliable cars My car has never really given me trouble. I recently had to spend some money to get something fixed and I hated doing that, but I realized it was the first time I really had to do that and I am thankful for that and thankful to have been blessed with good vehicle purchases.

I am thankful for friends I have so many good friends in my life and even if I can’t talk to all of them very often I am still thankful for them and love having them as my friend.

I am thankful for beauty in nature like fall leaves, mountains (that I miss), flowers, and other pretty things we’ve been blessed with.

I am thankful for clumping cat litter

I am thankful for the internet

I am thankful for phones because I can talk to my family and to Josh anytime. I have a phone with me if I’m in trouble I can use it, if I’m bored, if I need advice. What a blessing they really are.

I am thankful for my brains and that I have the ability to use them :)

I am thankful for my husbands brains :)

I am thankful for the temple and that I could be sealed there to my parents, and then later I was sealed there to my husband for eternity.

I am thankful for eternal life

I am thankful for a comfortable bed

I am thankful for promptings

I am thankful for pictures because they help me ‘see’ my wonderful memories and help me show the world things I enjoy looking at

I am thankful for good food and it’s availability to us just down the street in the market. We can have a variety of healthy fresh food, convienient food, frozen food, canned food, any food that we need. We don’t have to depend on our garden or raising and butchering cows if we can’t or don’t want to. We can nourish our bodies and be healthy which is something that wasn’t always available in the past.

I am thankful for indoor plumbing ..yeah :)

I am thankful for all my stuff which is basically everything I am able to own and use that I am not going to list on here. There are so many little things in my daily life that make it better. Each one is a blessing and I am thankful for those things and the life I have.

I challenge you to think of things you are thankful for. I challenge you to make a list, whether you choose to blog it so I can read yours too, or just keep it to yourself. I am also thankful for you-the people who read my blog and comment on it, give me answers or advice, and write your own blogs that I can read and enjoy and keep up with you!

Already November??

Just thought I’d give you a few updates on us. We’ve just still mostly been keeping busy with work and school like always. Sometimes we find some time to do something else once in a while. This weekend was one of those times. This past week Josh was studying almost straight through for his multiple tests (which he did well on them all) So this weekend we spent some time together.

Friday night we were able to just hang out at home and relax and eat a home cooked meal which was great.

Saturday we got up early to take my car into the shop to get it fixed. That lasted all day. Meanwhile we hung out and did some fun things. One of those things was going down to visit the mules at Mizzou that belong to the Mule Team which Josh is a member of. His friend and study buddy Caitlin came with us. Here’s some pictures of us and Terry the Mule…

We had a fun time. We also went shopping and went out to dinner. I really enjoyed this time with Josh and I’m glad he wanted to take time to spend with me.

Today we got up and went to church. Church is going to be keeping us busy…

Josh is giving a talk in sacrament meeting next week, and I’m giving one on the 29th…

Josh is called to be a teacher in priesthood once a month (he did it last week and did such a good job they decided they wanted him to keep doing it)

I was called to be the Young Women President! Yes, you read that right. Here’s the thing that’s going to be a little different about this calling…There’s only one young women in our branch who just moved in and just turned 12. I am not only the president, I’m the whole presidency.  I’m not really sure how I am going to do a lesson for one girl and all the other things that go along with young women. For me growing up in young womens there were many other girls, so this will be a new big adventure! I’m excited to get to know this girl and I think she will be into this because she was wanting to go to young womens (which is why I got the calling!). If anyone has ideas or advice for me I would love it! I’m excited and very nervous and just really don’t know how I’m going to make it all work yet!

PS Thanks to everyone who posted on my last post about the gardening stuff! I’ve got a few good ideas now and I am planning on tearing out the green bushes in front of the house. Now…to just find all the time… :)